Elaborate Lives
by BriBee1991
Summary: Sequel to "Be Not Afraid". Can Esmeralda and Erik's relationship survive or will they be forever seperated? I don't even know.
1. Out of Thin Air

Disclaimer: I own nothing relating to Phantom of the Opera, I'm just a complete dork.

**_Roza, I love reading your reviews, I love you, you're awesome :D_**

Erik and Esmeralda laid in his bed. It had been a week since that night on the rooftop and Erik could never remember being so happy. But sometimes...when he looked at Esmeralda he could tell that she missed home. He looked at her, she was cuddled against his chest. He smiled.

"Es...I think you better go back home for a bit."

She looked up at him. "What-"

He placed a finger on her lips and 'shh'ed her. "I can tell you miss your family. Mainly, your mother, you dream of her often."

She began to protest again and he pulled her closer to him.

_"You showed me the world_

_When I was all locked up inside._

_ You reached out your hand _

_ and took me on a magic carpet ride_

_ One look at your smile and I could see_

_ the light...shining everywhere._

_ People like you don't come out of thin air."_

Esmeralda bit her lip, and he could tell she was fighting an internal battle on whether to leave or stay.

"But what if my real father is there?" she said.

"Oh, Es." he sighed.

"_You don't understand._

_ There is so much that you don't see. _

_ Just think if you can, what growing up_

_ had to be like for me. _

_ Your father's a man, who tells who you are,_

_ mine was never there."_

_ "How can you say _

_ I don't come out of thin air." _she whispered, sitting up.

_"There's so much I want to know."_

_ "You've got the chance to learn." _he held her tighter.

She leaned back against him, feeling comfortable. _"If it means I have to go."_

He kissed her temple.

_ "I'll be right here when you return._

_ Our wedding can wait, _

_ I love you, _

_ I think it's worth this small delay."_

Esmeralda's head was reeling. He had just proposed to her. A few days before he had given her a ring but she didn't know what it was for. Now she did.

"_Maybe you're right."_ she breathed.

"_And won't be great to have _

_ your father see our wedding day."_

Esmeralda turned and hugged him, tightly.

_"I've waited so long_

_ to know the truth"_

_ "**And now at last, we can finally say...**__"_

___ "Your father was really there." _He whispered into her hair.

"_There's so much that we might share._" she whispered back.

"_And you'll finally learn..._

_ you don't come out of_

_ thin air."_

"Alright. I'll go for a bit." she said. "But...can you come with me?"

Erik's heart broke at the sound of the hopefullness in her voice.

"I've been up there...to that world...that hell." he said, turning away from her.

"The world is changing...PEOPLE" she put emphasis on the word. "are changing." She wrapped her arms around his waist, her face pressed against his back.

He leaned his head back, tears streaming down his cheeks. He couldn't stand seeing her upset. Maybe she was right. Maybe the world was changing. Maybe there were people like Madame Giry and Christine.

_Or maybe there are like those people at the carnival._ the inner voice in his head snarled.

"Erik?"

"I...I don't belong in that world." He said, getting off the bed and walking into his study but not before he heard her soft, heartbroken reply.

"But you belong in mine."

Erik closed the door behind him, resisting the urge to throw the door back open and taking her into his arms, promising her the world. He slid down the door, holding his head in his hands as he cried.


	2. I Miss You

Disclaimer: I own nothing relating to Phantom of the Opera, I'm just a complete dork.

Esmeralda watched as the door closed behind Erik and broke down. She was frightened. How would she handle being there with her mother's deteriorating mind, her father's perpetual contradictions of her, and Damon's obsessive compulsiveness to touch her if Erik wasn't there with her?

Then she remembered what Erik had said, that anytime she needed him, all she would have to do is call and he'd be there to protect her. He grabbed her bag near the door that carried her personal affects and decided to leave a note for him.

My Darling Erik,

I have decided to go to my mother's house to see her. Although

I pray that my ignorant father and Damon aren't there, I must

face it, they are my family. They are myself, made me what

I am. I must stand up to them, face my past and look toward

my future…my future with you. You are my heart, my life,

my soul…the breath within my very being. I love you…but

it's my turn to be brave and face my fears, fighting my own

battle.

Yours, in love,

_Esmeralda_

She struggled to catch her breath as tears cascaded down her cheeks. She placed it on his side of the bed and left, leaving only a broken sob behind.

~A.I.M.H…Always in my heart~

A few hours later, Erik emerged from his study, eyes puffy and red. His lair was silent, extremely silent.

"Es?" he called, gruffly.

_Did she leave? No, she's probably wandering around the Opera House somewhere._

Erik crossed the room to get his cloak when he saw something on his pillow. It was a note.

Bits of it were crumpled and he knew that tears had fallen there.

"Damn." He muttered. "I should've gone with her."

He picked up the phone he gave her and typed a text message to her. He was about to send it when he realized how badly he needed to hear her voice.

So he called her.

"_Erik?"_ she said, she sounded confused.

"I had..." he said, quietly. "I needed to hear your voice. You…left without saying 'goodbye'." He heard a gasp and a door closing.  
"_Sorry, I was avoiding Damon. I didn't mean to leave without saying 'goodbye', but you seemed like…well, I just thought I'd leave."_

As her voice broke, so did his heart. "Oh. I see." He whispered.

"_Oh, Erik, I'm sorry."_ She rushed, sobbing hard. "_It's just I was heartbroken about not being able to- to see you and –and…"_ she cried.

"Es, please don't cry. Hush, my love." He begged but she kept on crying.

"But…"

"**What would I give to be where you are?**

** What would I pay to be there beside you?**

** What would I give to see you, smiling at me?**

** Where would we walk?**

** Where would we run; if we could stay all day in the sun?**

** Just you and me and I would be part of your world.**"

As he sang, her sobs would down to sniffles. _"I miss you."_ She said, hanging up the phone.

A tear fell down his cheek. "And I you." He whispered to dead air. He looked at the clock.

"Eight pm." He muttered. "Perfect." He grabbed his cloak and ran into the darkness.

**_A.N: Thanks to Musicalroza999, who I know always reads. :D love ya! :D_**


	3. The Greatest Story Ever Told

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm just a dork.

**_Thanks again to Roza, my paithful phanatic. Love ya! :D_**

Esmeralda lay in her bed, knees to her chest. She was crying. Hearing Erik's voice had made her miss him even more then she already had. And he sang to her, once more. This surprised her because he had a tantrum last week about not being able to tackle the Disney lyrics.

She was jarred from her thoughts by a sharp knock at her door.

"_Allons-y."_ she said, wincing as her voice cracked.

The door opened and her father, Jean de Changy, entered. Esmeralda resisted the urge to pull the covers up over her head.

"What is wrong, _ma petite_?" he asked, sitting on the edge of her bed.

She was shocked; her father had never done this before. Why did he start now?

"Nothing, Papa, _je suix desolat._" She said, sitting up.

"Why are you sad?" he asked. Was he trying to comfort her? Whether he was or not, she needed it.

"Just…well…everything!" She cried, flinging herself onto him, tears streaming.

"Shh. Essie." Her father said, stroking her hair. "Tell your Papa what's bothering his girl."

All at once, Esmeralda told Jean about her mother's health and the strain it put on her. She told him about Damon and how her father was never there.

"But I was there!" he protested.

"Yes, you were but you weren't and whenever I did something good, you would give me this look and tell me that I should've done better. I never got a compliment out of you, my whole life, never got a kind word." She said, ignoring the fact that she saw a shadow go by in the corner of her eye. "And now, I miss the man that I love with my whole heart."

"And who is this man?" her father asked, going into protective father mode.

**"GO BACK TO HELL, YOU DEMON!"**Damon yelled as they heard a crash.

"What the hell?" her father asked.

_Erik!_ Esmeralda thought.

**_BANG! BANG!_**

As if in slow motion, the door to Damon's room opened. Damon was standing over a bloody body, their father's gun in his grasp.

"Damon!" she gasped, rushing over to her love's body. "You shot him?"

"He stole you while you were unconscious!" Damon yelled.

"I was unconscious because you were in the midst of raping me!" Esmeralda yelled back. "Besides, even if I was awake, I would go with him anyway." She looked at her father. "This is the man I love, his name is Erik and he is the Opera Ghost."

"Es?" a hoarse voice whispered.

Erik's eyes slowly opened.

"Hush, my love, I've got you." She whispered, stroking his blood matted hair. "We've got to get you to a hospital." She said, gently.

"NO!" he protested, trying to get up. "Oh!"

"Okay, lay back down. I've got you, I'm not going anywhere." She whispered.

"Damon, get out of this house. You have disgraced this family." Jean said, going to kneel by his daughter.

"But, Father!" Damon protested. "Where will I go?"

"At this point, I don't care if you float as atoms in the sky. You are no longer considered my kin. How could you have done this to your sister? To the man she loves? When I die, everything I own will go to Essie." Jean called for Marius. "Marius, escort Damon out of this house. He is no longer welcome here."

Marius gladly obliged. Damon was particularly cruel to the servants, as well as me. Jean turned back to Esmeralda, still cradling Erik to her. She was stroking his head, making soothing noises, tears were falling down her nose, dripping onto his face, the blood streaks were being washed away by her tears.

"Es?"

"He's sleeping." She said, stroking his face slowly.

"Since he doesn't want to go to the doctor, I'll go get Doctor Harris."

Esmeralda nodded slowly.

Jean left Erik and Esmeralda alone to go get the family doctor. Once her father was gone, she broke down and wept openly.

"Erik." She sobbed.

"Hey…Shh…" a voice said. She felt his hand reach up and stroke her cheek. She nuzzled his hand.

"I'm sorry. I never should've left. I should've…"

"Shh." He whispered, pressing his thumb to her lips.

"_Look to the sky, tell me, what do you see?_

_ Just close your eyes and describe it to me._

_ The Heavens are sparkling with starlight tonight,_

_ That's what I see through your eyes."_

She removed her hand from her cheek and held it against her neck, letting him feel her pulse.

"_I see the Heavens, each time that you smile._

_I feel your heartbeat just go on for miles._

_And suddenly I know my life is worthwhile._

_That's what I see through your eyes."_

_"That's what I see through your eyes."_ Erik joined in, sitting up slowly. His wounds, Esmeralda realized, had stopped bleeding. She hugged him tightly as they continued.

_"Here in the night, I see the sun._

_ Here in the dark, our two hearts are one._

_It's out of our hands; we can't stop what we have begun._

_And love just took me by surprise, looking through your eyes."_

She helped him to his feet and turned in his arms, looking out the French doors.

"What do you see?" she asked, leaning against him.

"_I see a night I wish could last forever."_ He sang.

_"I see a world we're meant to see together."_ She sang, turning to look at him.

"_And it is so much more than I remember."_

_ "More than I remember."_ She caressed his cheek lightly. He smiled and crushed her against him, breathing in her hair.

"_More than I have known."_ **Never were words so true, he thought.**

"_Here in the night, I see the sun._

_ Here in the dark, our two hearts are one._

_It's out of our hands; we can't stop what we have begun._

_And love just took me by surprise, looking through your eyes."_

Esmeralda smiled at him. "_Looking through your eyes."_

Erik held her against him, the silence was deadly but there was sweetness in the silence. There was no once else, only each other.

"I still stand by what I said." She whispered, lightly kissing his neck.

"And that was?" he said as he moved his neck, giving her freer access.

"I never should've left. I should've stayed with you. If I had then I never would've had to explain everything to my father, and you never would've been hurt." She said, sadly. "We would've been happy."

Erik stroked her hair. "Es, my love, if you hadn't come here then you would miss your family too much and you'd be almost unbearable to live with." He kissed her nose and felt him stiffen.

"Wait." She said, pushing away far enough to look into his eyes. "You were shot, how the hell are you standing? His smile faded. "You wouldn't believe me." he said, turning to look out at the stars.

**_A.N: The song used is "Looking Through Your Eyes" from Quest for Camelot, it is on youtube :D  
_**


	4. Come What May

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm just a dork.

**_Thanks again to Roza, my paithful phanatic. Love ya! :D_**

Esmeralda turned away from him so he wouldn't see the hurt in her eyes. "Why?" she whispered.

"Why, what?" he asked.

"Why are you shutting me out, Erik?" she yelled at him. "Me, the one who really knows you, sees the goodness within you, who really knows you?"

"You know nothing about me." he said, trying hard to keep his voice at a normal level, turning to her, the look in his eyes were that of fury, hurt, and confusion all rolled into one. It was worse then if he _had _yelled at her.

"You know, you're right. You're merely an ideal I fell in love with as a child, mere infatuation. _But**, **_by the time you wake up and realize that come what may, I will love you until I close my eyes forever, I'll be on top of a trash heap. **_DEAD!_**" She said, before running out of the wind.

xxx xxx xxx

Erik kicked the wall as the door slammed behind her. Her words hurt him but he was right, she knew _nothing_ about him.

"But she was right too, and you know it." a voice from behind him said.

Erik turned and saw a woman standing there, a cane in both of her hands. "Would you care to explain to me, messier, why my youngest, most beloved child ran headfirst out the door, crying?"

"I am sorry Madame." he said, remaining calm and civil, when all he really wanted to do was run out after her, find her, and hold her close, begging for forgiveness.

Esmeralda's mother hobbled into the room and sat in an arm chair near the fire place. "I heard everything that was said, Monsieur Erik." she said. "I was never able to deny my Essie anything, including, the delusional stories about you...yes, I know who you are." she said, as Erik went to say something. "Sit down, it's your turn to hear a story."

**_I know it's short and I'm sorry, the next chapter, looking at my notebook is longer._**


	5. Talking

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm just a dork.

**_Thanks to Kali, I love reading your reviews, my phaithful phan. :D love ya :D_**

"Madame, I do not think this-" he started.

"I know you don't but you've got too!" she snapped. "SIT!" She watched as he obediently sat.

"How much do you know about my Esmeralda?"

Erik crossed his leg, hoping to give off an ominous look, but with the look that Esmeralda's mother was giving him...he knew she wasn't scared of him.

"Well, Madame, I haven't known your daughter very long but..." _She's touched my heart in a way I never thought possible._ The unfinished thought hung in midair."Eleven days ago, I was in the Opera Populaire, observing the construction of my Opera house, leaving notes of the most...amiable nature detailing how it is to be done. That is when you're daughter came onto the stage. She danced and sang, not knowing that I was there watching her at first." he smiled at the memory. "Hours later, I came back to my lair, about to play my organ when I heard moaning and crying, I went over to my bed and saw a girl, lying there, in my bed screaming "No,Daddy, it hurts." He watched her face as it turned green. "She told me about Damon and we talked. Later, she got a call, she doesn't know that I was listening, I played it off well. It was Damon saying that he wanted to have dinner with her. Neither one of us had realized it, but four days had gone by. Later, well I don't remember later. All I know is that she is special to me."

He looked at a spot on her chair. "I love her...more then my own life."

"I believe you." she said, standing. "But, listen to me, young man, only when the fighting stops," she pointed to his head and his heart, "Can you be together."

She hobbled out the door, saying "They are one, you know."

"Pardon?" he asked, confused.

"The women you love." she said, winking at him. "Think, Monsieur, earth and sky." The door closed behind her softly, leaving Erik in the dark and alone.


	6. Frustration and Sorrow

Disclaimer: I own nothing...oh, wait,I own Esmeralda. And her family.

**_Thanks to Kali, I love you, girl, I love reading your reviews. Thanks to everyone else who's read. I love ya!_**

Esmeralda kept on running until she was near her favorite little spot as a child. It was a tree near the Eiffel Tower. _How could he?_

"_Can you imagine?" _she whispered, looking up at the sky.

_"And_ he asked me to marry him!

_Me! _

_The wife of that boorish!_

_Brainless!_

_Madame Phantom,_

_Can you just see it?_

_Madame Erik,_

_His little wife._

_No sir,_

_Not me,_

_I guarantee it!_

_I want much more than this provincial life!_

_I want adventure in the great wide somewhere._

_I want it more than I can tell._

_And for once it might be grand,_

_To have someone understand…"_

_"You want so much more than they've got planned."_ A voice said.

Esmeralda turned. "Marius."

"Hey, Es." He said, as he stood next to her. "I saw you run out the manor. You okay, Belle?" he said, using the name he called her when they were small children.

"Why can't we be kids again, Mar? Life was so simple back then."

He pulled her into a hug. "Oh, Es." He said, stroking her hair. "Everything grows up. That's life. Even the hard parts."

Esmeralda sighed as her phone rang.

"Erik?" she answered. "Maman? Why do you have Erik's phone?" she paused to hear the response from the other end. "He did what?" she hung up on her mother and turned back to Marius. "I have to go. Erik, he's run off."

Marius kissed her head. "I have always loved you, Es, but I can never keep up with him…you've always loved him." He pushed her, slightly. "Go to him." She gave a grateful smile to her childhood friend. She hugged him closer "Je t'aime, mon ami." She said, before running off, barely hearing her friend say "Je t'aime."

Esmeralda's mother said he was gone before she came down the stairs.

_Where could he have gone?_

She ran towards the Opera house, and when she got inside she found it pitch black.

"Erik?" she cried into the darkness.

**_Sing to him, Esmeralda._**

_What would she sing?_

"_Well I heard there was a secret chord_

_ That David played and it pleased the Lord_

_But you don't really care for music do you?"_

She thought she heard sniffling, but saw no one.

"_Well, it goes like this, the fourth, the fifth._

_ The minor fall and the fall and the major lift._

_The baffled king composing hallelujah._

_Hallelujah._

_Hallelujah._

_Hallelujah."_

_"Hallelujah."_ A voice echoed.

She looked around but still saw no one. He was here though…Esmeralda could feel it.

"_Well, your faith was strong_

_ But you needed proof._

_You saw her bathing on the roof,_

_Her beauty in the moonlight_

_Overthrew you._

_She tied you to the kitchen chair,_

_She broke your throne _

_And she cut your hair._

_And from your lips_

_She drew the…"_

She fell to her knees, crying. Why was he hiding from her?

"Erik? Please," she sobbed. She felt arms wrap around her. "Ah!" she began to kick and fight.

_"Maybe, there's a God above_

_But all I've ever learned from love_

_Is how to shoot somebody who_

_Outdrew you."_

She turned and saw she was in the arms of her Erik, the man she loved.

_"It's not a cry you hear at night._

_It's not someone who's seen the light._

_It's a cold and it's a broken _

_Hallelujah."_

He framed her face, kissing her neck. "_Hallelujah."_ Her right cheek, "_Hallelujah_." Her forehead, "_Hallelujah_." Her left cheek, "_Hallelujah_." Her nose, "_Hallelujah_." And finally, her lips, "_Hallelujah."_

She squeezed him tightly before pulling away and hitting his arm. "You ever do that to me again, and I'll kill you." She said. "Never leave me."

"I promise." He said, holding her close. "Oh, Es, my love, you were right. I'm sorry."

"Shh." She said, holding him close.

"You do know me." he said, leading her towards the edge of the stage. "But let me fill in the blanks."


	7. Erik's Story

Disclaimer: I own nothing...just Es and her family

**Thanks to all my readers and reviewers, I love you all :D**

They sat there in silence for a minute before he took a deep breath.

"When I was very young, my mother sold me to a traveling carnival. And they were horrid to me. They would beat me and call me "The Devil's Child." And they knew that one day I would die and they would lose money. So, they sold my soul to the devil. When I was a young man, maybe, eight or so, they beat me and they beat me until an inch from death…I should be dead. But that was how they found out that the deal had worked. They would beat me daily…simply because they could. When I was saved, I was dubbed the 'Angel of Music' for my talent. So I am forever doomed to roam this hell, sharing my gift." He looked at her. "I never wanted you to know."

"Erik." She held his hand. "I'm glad you told me. No matter what, I will always love you."

"The thing is that you can spend your life with me but I can't spend my life with you." He said, looking away. "I wish I could go above ground with you, even."

She pulled out a picture from her purse and handed it to Erik.

"Her name is Janelle."

"What is this on her face?" he asked.

"It's called a cleft. The surgery is too dangerous for her." Esmeralda explained. "Nelle, here, spends her days on the playground as happy as any normal five year old."

"Really?"

Esmeralda nodded. "I have an idea!" she smiled, rummaging through her purse.

When she turned back to him she smiled. "Take your mask off."

He looked at her confused. Smiling bigger, she leaned in and kissed him, causing a distraction so she, herself, could remove his mask herself.

"Little minx." He laughed.

"You love it." she replied, turning his head.

"What are you doing, Es?"

"Shh." She said.

He was quiet and still as she fiddled with whatever she was doing. About ten minutes later, she stopped. "Et Voila." She handed him her compact mirror. He reluctantly, took it. He looked at her and then at his reflection again.  
"Oh, Es, I can't believe it." he said.

She had used her makeup to cover the blemishes on his face. He looked almost normal. She had even colored over the bit where he no longer had hair with some black stuff.

"I used cover-up to well, cover up the markings on your face and then I used a mixture of eyeliner and mascara to do the rest."

"I look…normal." He said, holding her compact tightly in his hand.

"This is how you've always looked to me." she said, looking at him, her head tilted to the side.

"How?" he asked, looking at her, mocking her head set.

"The stories about you…the ones that I was told as a child…I had always depicted you like this…never as the monster that you presume to be." She said.

"But the way I look…without all this." He said, indicating to his face.

"Looks aren't what makes someone a monster…it's the actions." She said. "And I know, you're past ones aren't great but still…you have a goodness in you that you refuse to let others see…you refuse to let them get close to you."

He blinked at her. "That has to be the most logical thing that I've ever heard anyone say." He said, pacing slightly.

"Well, there are logical people in the world." She said, standing up.

"Not from what I've seen." He said, looking around the theatre.

About ten minutes later…

"Come on, Erik." She said, reaching for his hand.

They were standing by the door of the theatre. She had shoved him into a pair of jeans and a button down pale blue shirt. "I don't know Es," he said. "I'm…I mean; I don't think this will work."

She smiled at him and pulled him towards her. "I believe in you." She pressed her lips to his.

He lets out a growl as he deepened the kiss, holding her tightly against him. _She believes in me. _ He thought. _No one has ever believed in me…not even Christine…or Madame Giry._

He was so wound up in his thoughts that he didn't realize that they were pressed up against the door…or that Esmeralda's hand was on the door knob. She was doing a great job at distracting him. In her mind, he was a man and very easy to distract. Really all she had to do was swish her hips and he was butter. But those were new pants and they needed to look clean as they walked around.

She silently turned the knob and fell back against the door, dragging Erik with her.


	8. Janelle

Disclaimer: I own nothing...just Es and her family

**_Thanks to youngandreckless412, love ya girl! I am sorry to my readers for my taking so long to update. I had a lot going on since the 27th and I've been running around non-stop since then. Gotta love college._**

Seeing Erik in the sunlight was amazing. She always thought he was handsome but he looked even better in the natural light. What she found even more amazing was the fact that he wasn't looking around at everything. He was looking straight at her.

"Erik?"

"Esmeralda?"

"Are you mad at me?" she asked, ducking her head. She didn't want to look him in the eyes when he gave her an answer.

They were silent for a moment then he sighed and closed the distance between them, slowly.

He chuckled, placing his hand over her eyes. "Why would I be mad?"

_For lying to you about who I really am._ "For pushing you into the sunlight."

He removed his hand from her eyes, causing her to blink the bright light out of her eyes.

"I am not a creature of the dark." He said.

She looked at him and he didn't look it but…his eyes danced with amusement.

"Erik…you live in a sewer, it doesn't get much darker than that." She said her hands on her hips.

He laughed, wrapping his arms around her, forcing her head back. She gasped as her heart-rate began to pick up speed.

"I could never be mad at you for giving me something that I missed. Es, you have awaken something within me that I thought was long gone."

_Lust_. She thought with an internal giggle. "Love?" she replied.

"Love…hope….and all the other emotions that man has." He said before kissing her lightly.

He broke the kiss soon after, much to Esmeralda's irritation. "So, where do you want to go?" he asked, looping her arm through his own.

"Well, I was kinda hoping…" she began, looking away.

"Oh, no," he said, with feign horror. "I'm in trouble."

She smiled at him. "I miss my kids." She said.

Esmeralda had told him all about the kids that she visited.

"What do you want to do with them?" he asked.

"Tell them a story."

"That's all?"

"Well…um…I promised that the next time I was there I would tell them…"

"Tell them what?" he asked.

"A story…about you…and Christine." She flinched, waiting for him to flip out on her. "It's their favorite."

"I'm going to regret this…I can feel it." he said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Thank you!" she said, throwing her arms around him.

He held her tight. Secretly cursing himself for not being able to deny her any happiness.

When she finally let go of her, she smiled and said, "I have everything we'll need in my bag."

He groaned. "Now, I'm really in trouble."

0000000

"Bonjour, mes enfants. » she said, entering the room. She had a pale blue dress on and a red cape.

"Esmeralda!" they all cried, swarming her legs.

Smiling, she patted their heads. Little Janelle pushed her way to the front. She tugged on Esmeralda's cape. "You promised." She said, like any other child would when they sounded mad.

"I remember." She said, cupping the small girl's cheek. "And I brought a special friend to help me tell it." she said, setting up the big mirror near the door.

"Who?" a little boy, Richard, asked.

**"Angel I feel you, **

**Speak, I listen**

**Stay by my side, guide me.**

**_Angel, my soul was weak,_**

**_Forgive me._**

**_Enter at last master."_**

"Flattering child,

You shall know me.

See why in shadow I hide.

Look at your face in the mirror,

I am there inside."

Esmeralda was looking at the mirror as Erik stepped from behind it, wearing his own clothes, his cape and his mask. He held out his hand to Esmeralda, looking shocked.

"I am your angel of music

Come to me Angel of Music.

I am your angel of music,

Come to me Angel of music."

Esmeralda slowly reached for Erik's hand. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the look of awe and wonder on the children's faces. As she placed her hand in Erik's, she began to see one of Christine's memories. _Oh no, this hasn't happened in a long while. Just when things are getting normal. Note to self, when I die, yell at Auntie Christine._

Within the memory, she was Christine, being led by Erik, in a dimly lit tunnel that she recognized as the one that leads from the prima donna dressing room. They were walking easily, and from the look on Erik's face, he loved the look on Christine's face. In her own body, Erik was leading her through a path that the children made. Esmeralda idly wondered what she looked like when she went through these little spells.

**"_In sleep he sang to me,_**

**_ In dreams he came._**

**_That voice which calls to me_**

**_And speaks my name._**

**_And do I dream again,_**

**_For now I find._**

**_The Phantom of the Opera is there_**

**_Inside my mind."_**

By this time they had circled the classroom and were back in the front. In her mind, where she was still Christine, she was being led through the labyrinth by Erik. In her own body, he had twirled her around, so that his arms were wrapped around her.

"Sing once again with me,

Our strange duet.

My power over you,

Grows stronger yet."

Christine looked over her shoulder; Esmeralda tried to get out of his grasp. He let her go momentarily, and then pulled her back to him.

"And though you turn from me

To glance behind.

The Phantom of the Opera is there

Inside your mind."

Finally, the memory ended and Esmeralda was able to see her world again. Erik looked worried. _He did notice_. She smiled at him, caressing the masked part of his face as she turned to face him.

**_"Those who have seen your face, _**

**_Draw back and fear. _**

**_I am the mask you wear."_**

_"_It's me they hear." He sang, his hand resting lightly at her throat.

_"My **(Your)** spirit and your **(my)** voice_

_In one combined._

_ The Phantom of the Opera is there **(here)**,_

_Inside your **(my)** mind."_

_"**He's there…**_

**_The Phantom of the Opera._**

**_Beware…_**

**_The Phantom of the Opera"_**

"In all your fantasies,

You've always knew

That man and mystery."

_If only you knew, my love._ She thought. "**_Were both in you._."**

_"And in this labyrinth,_

_Where night is blind._

_The Phantom of the Opera is there (**here)**_

_Inside your **(my)** mind._

"Sing.

My Angel of Music."

She stood in front of Erik, her hands clasped in her skirt, a small smile on her face.

"**_He's there,_**

**_ The Phantom of the Opera."_**

Then she turned to the children and began vocalizing.

"Sing.

My Angel of Music."

She continued vocalizing.

"SING FOR ME!" he yelled.

She hit her high note that sounded more like a scream and then collapsed.

"Es!" he said, rushing towards her. She smiled at him and muttered "Overdid it."

She fell back into his arms.

"Monsieur." A little voice said.

He turned and saw the little girl in the picture that Esmeralda had showed him.

"Hello, Mademoiselle Janelle." He said.

"You can lay her down over here." She said, leading Erik into the next room.

She pointed to a small bed. "It's mine but I always offer it to Esmeralda." She said, sitting on the bed across from him.

"Has this happened before?"

"Once or twice." The little girl said, shrugging. "But she wakes up a few minutes later."

Erik looked at the little girl, sitting at the foot of the bed. "You really like Mademoiselle Esmeralda?"

"She's the closest thing I have to a big sister. I love her." The little girl gushed. "What is your name, Monsieur?"

"Erik." He said, with a gentle smile. He liked the girl; she had good manners and was very bright.

"Do you love Mademoiselle Esmeralda too?" she asked.

"I do, ma petite." He said.

"Are you the Opera Ghost?" she asked after a few beats of silence.

Knowing that the makeup had melted through the mask, he cocked his head at her.

"If I was, would you be afraid?"

"No, Monsieur Erik. I wonder if you are though. You don't look like the description that Mademoiselle Esmeralda had told us months ago. The one that her Maman told her."

"Which is?" he asked.

The little girl sat up straighter.

_"Like yellow parchment is his skin_

_A great black whole serves as the nose _

_That never grew._

_ You must be always on your guard_

_Or he will catch you with his magical lasso."_

Erik smiled at the little girl again, she had an angelic voice. He remembered the man who worked in his Opera House giving the same description, and Esmeralda slapping him.

"Does Mademoiselle Esmeralda still feel that way?"

"She never did." The little girl said, laughing. "She went on to tell us that she didn't believe what the people in the Opera House always said about him. She believed there was good in him and that no one really knew what the man looked like, or who he was…except her great aunt."

"Her great aunt?"

"Everyone knows who her great aunt is, just look at her last name!" the little girl exclaimed.

"She never told me her last name." Erik said, looking confused.

"I'll let her tell you." The little girl smiled. "So, Monsieur, are you fantôme de l'Opéra?


	9. Talking and Kisses

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm just a dork. OH, wait, i own Es and her family

"_So, Monsieur, are you, _fantôme de l'opéra_"_

The question rattled around Erik's head. "Pardon?" he asked.

The little girl got off her bed and sat across from him. "You heard me, Monsieur." She said all business.

"Does it make any difference?" he asked, keeping his anger in check.

"Monsieur, I have never been afraid of people who people label as monsters. I was always referred to as one." She said. "Do I seem like a monster to you, Monsieur Erik?"

Erik shook his head. "You strike me as a mere curious child. Why would they refer to you as a monster?"  
She pointed to the cleft on her lip. "They judge people before they know them and because of this…I was born with it."

He sighed. "Do you really want an answer to my question?"

She nodded, slowly, as if debating.

He pulled off his mask and showed her the deformed half of his face. "I am the Phantom of the Opera."

The little girl slowly walked over to him and gently touched the bumps on his face. He didn't jump back, not wanting to scare the child. "How can you touch it without being repulsed?"

"It is not scary to me." she said, looking at him with her striking blue eyes. "To me, it is like my cleft."

"I was born like this." He said.

Janelle nodded. "Mademoiselle Esmeralda has told us your story. Did you ever see your mother again?"

Erik nodded. "In my youth, I decided to see what she was doing with her life. She and my father had another child. A girl, I learned later that her name was Erika. My mother looked sad often. When I was twenty, I made myself known to my mother and she burst into tears. She had thought me dead. But she never accepted me."

"What about your sister?" the little girl asked.

"I watched her from afar after my parents died. When a man would treat her wrong, I would make myself known to them and I would threaten the man. Several times, she would thank me, not knowing that I was actually her older brother. The last time I had seen her, she was with child…I haven't seen her since."

"That's sad." Janelle said. She looked at Erik for a moment, and then put her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Erik returned the little girl's hug, smiling.

He had never hugged a child before but this little girl was different, he thought it would be weird if he were not to hug her.

"Nelle, why don't you go play, ma petite." Esmeralda's voice said.

"Oui." She said, letting go of Erik and running to go play with her friends.

Erik looked at Esmeralda and saw tears streaming from her eyes.

"Es, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" he asked, moving closer to hurt.

"It is a hurt that you cannot fix." She said, wiping her eyes.

"I'm confused now." Erik said, holding her hand.

"I never knew that half of your story." She said, bringing his hand to her cheek.

He shrugged. "I would've told you eventually. That little girl is relentless with questions. "  
"I watched." She said. "You have a way with her." She said.

"I don't know it felt as if I _had_ to tell her everything. I have no idea what happened."

Esmeralda smiled at him.

"Now I have a question for you, mon amour." He said, standing up.

"What is that?"

"You see, Mademoiselle Janelle made an interesting statement to me and made me realize that I do not know your last name." he said, pacing slightly. "What is it?"

She took a deep breath. "My name is Esmeralda Marie de Changy." She said slowly.

_De Changy?_

"What?" he asked, stopping his pacing.

"My family is the descendants of Raoul, the Vicomte de Changy." Esmeralda said, looking away.

"Christine was your…"

"Several times Great Aunt." She said.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, quietly, clenching his hand into fists.

"Because I was scared."

"Scared?"

"Scared of the way you would treat me if you found out I was related to the woman who broke your heart."

He remained quiet. _Would I have treated her different? It is possible. Why didn't I realize it before? She looks like Christine…she sings like Christine…she moves like Christine. She has brought up things that I have only told to Christine! Wait…how would she have known that?_

He turned to ask her but found that she was gone. He ran out into the next room where all the children were and he saw Janelle looking at him sadly.

"Nelle, where is Es?"

"She left. She ran out that way." The little girl said. He bent and kissed her head. "Merci."

He ran out after her. Where would she go? To her mother's home? It was possible. To his lair? He doubted it.

So he took off towards her mother's house.

When he got there, he pounded on the door. Marius opened the door. "What do you want, Monsieur Erik?"

"Is Es here?"

"Oui."

"Please, I need to talk to her."

"She doesn't want to talk to you." Marius said with venom in his voice.

"She doesn't, or you don't want me to talk to her?" Erik snapped.

"Both." Marius said, slamming the door in Erik's face.

~LEARN TO BE LONELY~

Esmeralda was standing on the stairs as Marius slammed the door.

"Was that Erik?" she asked.

"It was." he said, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Why did you do that?" She said, practically flying down the steps.

"He hurt you, Es. As soon as you told him your family tree he got angry and hurt you."

"He did nothing of the sort. I ran because I was afraid of what he would say next. He would never do anything to hurt me…though I fear that I hurt him."

Marius closed the distance between them. "He's not good for you, Belle." He said, crushing his lips down on hers.

Esmeralda tried to push him off but he had a strong hold on her.

"MARIUS!"

Marius jumped back from Esmeralda, like he had been burned. They looked up and saw Esmeralda's father and Erik standing there. Esmeralda stared at Erik, who was practically shooting daggers at Marius.

"You see, Monsieur de Changy, I told you something was wrong." Erik said.

"You were right, Monsieur Erik, and I thank you." Jean said. "Are you okay, Essie?"

Esmeralda snapped back to reality. She was in awe of Erik, who was not wearing his mask.

"Oui, Papa, je vais bien. » She replied. She turned to Marius. « I always counted you as my best friend. »

« I am your best friend, Es. » he said, reaching out towards her.

She jumped back. "You are no friend of mine." She said. She turned to leave then she said. "Oh, I've forgotten something."

She punched Marius in the face, causing the man to fall.

Erik laughed silently. "Now, Monsieur de Changy, I have business to discuss with you." Erik said.

"Yes, of course."  
"Es, I need you to be there for this." Erik said.

He didn't sound mad, so she slowly walked up the stairs, into her father's study with the men.

"What sort of business is this, Monsieur?" Jean said, leaning onto his desk.

Erik looked at Esmeralda and then to her father. "I love your daughter very much…I had asked her to marry me…but then a little stress hit home…and I want to ask for your blessing…that is…" he looked at Esmeralda. "If she'll still have me."

Esmeralda smiled and then burst into tears. "How could I not?" she said. Erik smiled and then looked back at her father, who was also crying. "Papa?"

"Erik…could you leave me alone with Essie, for a moment."

Erik nodded and left.


	10. Daddy's GirlStealing Cinderella

Disclaimer:

_I do not own anything just Es and her family. Thanks for reading…please review._

Esmeralda looked at her father. "Papa, why are you crying?"

Jean moved to lean on the front his desk, sitting across from his daughter. "The other day, when you told me that I was never there. I went back to my study and looked at pictures from when you were born. I remembered the night that you came into this world. The doctor told me that you were a girl and I remembered, and this I am not too proud of, that I wanted another boy. Then he laid you in my arms and I felt my heart sing with joy. You were my little girl, the center of my world, my number on… I loved you like I would've a son."

Esmeralda smiled. "I remember our fishing trip when I was about five." She said.

"You asked me if the hook would hurt the fishes lips." He said, laughing. "You also said that 'those things in the can will die without air'."

"We let the worms go."

"Then we chased butterflies." She said, than looked at him. "That was when you started getting overly involved with work."

He nodded. "When I saw you with Erik that night, the look of despair on your face when you thought he was dying and it seemed like only yesterday that you were swimming and playing sports with your brother…and I realized that I had to let you go…to be free. Because I know that you'll always know what you were to me."

She stood up and held him close. "I'll always be your little girl. The center of your whole world, you're number one…you love me like you would a son."

He held her tightly then whispered. "Now, I need to talk to Erik before I can let you run off and tell your mother."

Esmeralda smiled at him as she turned to leave. "Je t'aime, Papa."

"Je t'aime aussi, Esmeralda. » He said.

Erik came into the room several seconds after Esmeralda left. "Yes, Monsieur?"

"I wanted to talk to you." Jean said, sitting back down. "But first, if you don't mind, I have some papers to shift through."

Erik nodded and looked around the room. He leaned in and saw some pictures of Esmeralda sitting on the shelf. She was playing Cinderella; riding her first bike; bouncing on a bed, with a pillow in her hand; running through the sprinkler with an enormous grin on her face; dancing with her father, looking up at him. Then it hit him. In her eyes, she was prince charming but to her father he was just some man who was stealing Cinderella. The last picture on the shelf was one of her singing at a concert; she looked so much like Christine in the picture that Erik couldn't help but smile.

He leaned in closer to look at it when her father came up behind him. "She's something, isn't she?"

"She's a remarkable woman." Erik said, slowly taking his eyes off the picture.

Jean just stared at him that was when Erik saw it too. The little girl in the pictures was everything to the man before him.

"Before I send you back to my daughter, bear in mind…if he comes home crying because of something that you did, then I will give you a hard time."

"Monsieur, I, honestly, cannot blame you. I'm the one who is stealing Cinderella."

"That you are."

"I have one thing to ask of you though." Jean said, looking at the door. "She will always be my baby, so take good care of her."

Erik nodded and shook Jean's hand.

_I know it's short but I never got around to writing the next chapter…lol. I will write more when I get a review. _


	11. Learn to be Lonely

Disclaimer:

_I do not own anything just Es and her family. Thanks for reading…please review._

When they got to Esmeralda's room, Erik closed the door behind them and heard a sniffle. He turned back to Es and found her sitting on the floor with her face buried into the quilt on the bed. Rushing over to her, he stroked her hair. "Es, what's the matter?" he asked.

"I- I was afraid that you wouldn't want me." she sobbed.

"Oh, Es, really?" he laughed. "Is that was all this is about?" He kissed her head lightly. "Wild horses couldn't stop me from loving you."

"But…I lied to you, about who I am." She said, shaking her head.

"You've given me a life back." He said, stroking her hair. "Do you know what my mother would say to me as a child?"

She shook her head 'no'.

"_Learn to be lonely._

_ Learn to be your one companion._

_Who will be there for you?_

_Comfort and care for you?_

_Learn to be lonely._

_Learn to find your way in darkness._

_Never dream out in the world,_

_There are arms to hold you._

_You've always known,_

_Your heart was on its own._

_So laugh, in your emptiness,_

_Child of the wilderness,_

_Learn to be lonely,_

_Learn to live life that is lived alone."_

"Your mother said that?" she said, ignoring the fact that his voice really soothed him.

"Yes." He said, offering her a small smile. "But listen to me…" he turned her face up to his. "I might've believed what she said for a while but being with you…I've realized that everything she's ever said to me was a complete lie."

She looked at him, tears still flowing. "Really?" she hiccuped. He nodded at her.

"I love you, Erik." She said.

"You know, I've never asked you, how you knew my name."

"I believe it is time that I was straight with you Erik." She said, looking at her hands in her lap.

"I think I have a general idea…" he said. "The night when you went running out of the house…your mother said to me. 'They are one, you know?' and I was baffled, I had no idea what she was talking about. When I asked her about it she said, 'think…earth and sky.'" He sighed. "I think I know now what she was talking about."

"That I am the re-incarnation of Christine?" she said, slowly.

"Never mind." He said.

She couldn't help but laugh. "What did you think she meant?"

He shrugged, smiling himself, "I thought she meant something about love…"

"Well she was right in a way."

"What do you mean?"

Esmeralda stood up and walked over to the window. "Christine loved you…now she is the sky…I love you and I am the earth." She turned back to him. "Do you know what I mean?"

He nodded.

"Are you really the re-incarnation of Christine?" he asked, never really believing in such nonsense.

She sighed. "I knew you wouldn't believe me."

Not wanting to raise his voice and lose what ground he had covered with her father, he softly said. "Well, it is a little unbelievable."

"Is it?" she asked. "Think about it Erik. That first day…I know you were watching me dance and sing… I knew the words to "Past the Point of No Return" and I knew you were there…I knew your name…I knew how to get to your lair and I have said things to you that I have a feeling you've only mentioned to Christine."

He stood there silently. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"What was I supposed to do, Erik? Waltz right up to you and say "I have the soul of the person who long ago broke your heart?" No! I didn't know what to do or say!" She turned away from him, tears flowing down her cheeks.

Erik stood up, wrapping his arms around her. "You were scared?"

She nodded. "I was afraid of losing your love…afraid of you hating me because of the fact that my aunt was an idiot."

He turned her around, crushing her to his chest. "You might have Christine's soul in you but I can tell your differences."

"Really?" she hiccuped.

"Yes." He said. "You know that Christine left me for Raoul and looking back on it now, I feel that I scared her…my obsessiveness over her. But when Marius kissed you earlier today…you didn't melt into his embrace like you do with me…you hit him…I wanted to do worse but that was when I was afraid."

"Of what?"

"Losing you." He said. "I thought you'd never forgive me if I killed your childhood friend."

"Oh, Erik," she said. "I love you."

"I love you, Es." He said, kissing her passionately.

She sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck. When things got a little too heated she smiled at him and said "Let's go see, Mother."

Well, there's the next bit, I know that I don't have all the lyrics for "_Learn to be Lonely_" up there, I edited it a bit for lengths sake. Hope you enjoy it. R&R please :D


End file.
